Indoor soccer: Tyler Witmer thriving with the Harrisburg Heat while learning the indoor game

Tyler Witmer may not have been plugged into the indoor soccer scene when he first began working out with the Harrisburg Heat, but the 22-year-old is doing just fine right now.

Scoring goals.

Setting up finishes for his teammates.

Rookie Tyler Witmer, shown scoring one of his two goals in Saturday night's win over Detroit, is one of two rookies leading the PASL's Harrisburg Heat in scoring.Courtesy of Harrisburg Heat/Luckyshot

Providing plenty of energy at both ends of the field for a Heat club (4-7) about to close out the home portion of its first Professional Arena Soccer League season.

And when the Heat entertains a San Diego club (10-0) that’s won a remarkable 47 straight games on Friday night at the Farm Show Complex’s Equine Arena — as well as Eastern Division playmate Illinois (3-9) on Saturday — look for Witmer to have his high-octane engine cranked up and rolling.

“The indoor game is a blast,” said the Berks County resident. “I’m having a great time.”

While Witmer was a standout player at Temple following a terrific career at Conrad Weiser — Witmer’s coach at Temple was Dave MacWilliams, the former indoor playing great and Philadelphia Kixx coach — his first inclination was to give the professional outdoor game a shot.

But when a trial with the USL PRO’s Harrisburg City Islanders last spring failed to land him a contract, Witmer soon was back in school and pondering his next run.

Witmer was still pondering last fall, but while doing some coaching he learned an indoor franchise was returning to Harrisburg.

So he checked out a few things.

During his online research, Witmer learned he’d missed the Heat’s open tryout camp. Rather than wait around some more and lament, the 6-0, 180-pounder reached out to head coach Richard Chinapoo to see if there was any chance he could still land a look.

When Chinapoo suggested one of the workouts locally based players were involved in at Sports City Harrisburg prior to training camp, Witmer hustled to Pennsylvania’s Capital City to take part and learn what he could.

Soon, Chinapoo offered Witmer an invite to the Heat’s first training camp.

Eventually, a contract offer came his way.

And even though Witmer was student teaching at a Philadelphia high school during the day — he completed his degree requirements in December and is certified in health and physical education and looking to do some substitute teaching soon — he was gladly making the long drive to Harrisburg for evening workouts.

Witmer also found time to attend one of Temple’s home matches, hoping to chat up MacWilliams about his indoor prospects and learn more about the game. Eventually, after a number of training sessions and games, Witmer discovered MacWilliams’ coaching techniques had given him a head start.

Especially since he — like MacWilliams — played forward.

“I see a lot of things translating into the indoor game,” Witmer said of MacWilliams, a former teammate of Chinapoo’s in Baltimore. “Just the ways he taught me and coached me.”

Witmer also has tried to soak up whatever he can from Chinapoo, an all-star defender during his lengthy indoor career, and assistant coach Gino DiFlorio. And while practice time and listening to former indoor players provide counsel, just playing in games against veteran players has affected Witmer’s learning curve the most.

Same for his Heat teammates, most of whom never tried the indoor game.

So while it’s taken a first-year Harrisburg club some time to grow comfortable with the dashers and the glass and the almost-constant contact — not to mention more-experienced opponents — Witmer & Co. finally collared one of the PASL’s best on Saturday by beating Detroit 10-6 at the Equine Arena.

“To show up and do what we did, it was a great game,” said Witmer, who collected two goals and set up a third. “Coming out on top, that was a big confidence booster for us.

“It’ll be a tough week. San Diego’s got something like a 47-game winning streak, but that was a big win for us. Hopefully, we can counter that and come back and do the same thing this weekend.”

If so, that means Witmer and fellow rookie forward Tom Mellor will likely continue to try to one-up the other — within the team framework, of course. Every time one of Witmer’s strikes finds the back of the net or Mellor beats an opposing goalkeeper, it seems like the other cashes in moments later.

Helps explain why both sit atop the Heat’s scoring list with 24 points. And while it might be a mere coincidence — or just luck — both Witmer and Mellor have scored 14 goals.

They also have 10 assists apiece.

"We don’t really talk about it, but it seems that way," Mellor joked following Saturday’s success. If I get one, [Brian Ombiji] gets one, Tyler gets one and then I get one. Healthy competition is great. ... "That’s good for the benefit of the team. ¶

“Tommy’s a great guy,” Witmer said of his teammate. “[Chinapoo] talked to us later on about that. But it’s a friendly thing and I didn’t realize how close we are.

“If he scores a goal and I follow up with a goal or I score and he follows up with a goal or assists, it’s one of those things that makes our team stronger. There’s not one person on our team who scoring all the goals, but we’re sharing the goals and assists,” Witmer continued.

“Me and Tommy might be leading the team, but there’s three or four guys right behind us.”

And all of them — including Witmer — are relishing the victory they shared Saturday night against Detroit. Plus, they’re all relishing the opportunity to play professional soccer.

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